Device for loading, transporting, and unloading material



April 2l, 1953 c. cHRlsTlANsl-:N 2,635,884

DEVICE FOR LOADING, TRANSPORTING, AND UNLOADING MATERIAL Filed MaICh 29, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET l ill.

\\ l l im Arron/ver April 21, 1953 c. CHRIS-HANSEN 2,635,884

DEVICE FOR LCADING, TRANSPORTING, AND UNLOADING MATERIAL Filed MaIGh 29, 1949 2 SHEETS- SHEET 2 ATTO/2N Y Patented Apr. 21, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEVICE FOR LOADING, TRAN SPORTING,

AND UNLOADING MATERIAL Christian Christiansen, St. Cloud, Minn.

Application March 29, 1949, Serial No. 84,026 3 Clims. (Cl. 275-1) The present invention relates generally to devices for loading, transporting and unloading materials, and more particularly to an attachment for vehicles, such as tractors for loading and unloading hay, fertilizer, rubbish and many other materials.

The need for a one-man operated simple, durable and economical attachment unit for tractors or the like adapted tc serve the combined purposes of loading, transporting or unloading materials from one location to another has long been in demand by farmers, builders and others requiring such apparatus.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a simple novel attachment unit for tractors or the like, whereby loading, transporting and unloading is readily accomplished by one man driving a tractor or other vehicle to which the device is attached.

Another object is to provide a combined tractor pushed material handling attachment constructed to mechanically load, transport and unloadmaterials by spreading the materials unloaded over a eld or other surface to be treated therewith.

Many other objects and `advantages of the present invention will be readily apparentto one reading the following specifications and claims with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings wherein the several parts of the device are given identifying reference characters:

Fig. 1 is a general perspective view of the present invention applied to the front of a tractor.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view` of the material holding body mountings and loading `fork gate and of the material holding body in cross section.

Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the device with the loading fork gate down as shown in Fig. 2.`

Fig. 4 is a modified form of the invention showing the auger replaced by a toothed cylinder7 which may be interchangeable with the auger.

Referring to the drawings and rst with par ticular reference to Figs. 1 and 3, the device comH prises a material holding body I IJ having a flat bottom mounted on longitudinal bars II and a plurality of members a-dapted to load or unload the same hereinafter described. The bars I I extend from the mouth of the material holding body I and are made with bifurcated ends I Zeach formed with openings to receive a transverse pivot pin I3. The pins I3 pivotally connect the bifurcated ends I2 with pusher arms I4, which pivotally connect to supports Ma formed with a knuckle joint Mb at each side of a vehicle frame or chassis, such for example as a tractor A.

The material handling body arms I4 are each formed with a lever arm I5 rigidly connected or formed integrally from an intermediate point on the arms I4 so `as to provide a bell-crank arrangement. The free end lever I5 of each arm I4 is formed with an aperture for connection to a rod I6 leading to a hand operated lever, not shown, on the tractor or other vehicle on which the material molding body I0 is mounted.

At the rear of each side of the material holding body I0 just below the upper rim thereof are pins or stub` axles I'I. Pivotally mounted on each of these axles Il are the ends of elongated levers I 8, to intermediate points of which are pivotally connected the ends of the elongated links I9. The free ends of levers I8 are coupled to rods 26, which lead to an operating lever adjacent to the operating lever, not shown, for operating the lever arms I5.

It is, of course, to be understood that in place of rods I 6 and 20, hydraulic mechanism may be used, that is,` the piston shafts of hydraulic cylinders, not shown, may be coupled to the levers I5 and I8. However, whether the actuating means is by rods and levers or hydraulic means, the operation of the material holding body Il] and the loading and unloading means is basically the same as will hereinafter be fully explained.

The elongated links I9 extend from their pivotal connections on the levers I 8 angularly along each side of the material holding body I0 and each couples to a triangular ear 2| formed at substantially right anglesfrom a, gate 22.

The gate 22 is formed with tines 23 and is hereinafter called a loading fork gate. The rear longitudinal edge of the loading fork gate 22 is made with a pivoted flange or flap 24. Apertured tine-supporting lugs 25 are secured to shaft 26 by set screws 26a. Shaft 26 is pivotally mounted between lugs 28 and 29 extending from each side wall of the mouth of the material holding body I0.

These lugs 2B'and 29 are made long enough to permit the pivoted flange 24 to clear the top of an unloading worm or auger 30 journalled for rotation in the sides of the material holding body I0 when the loading fork gate is raised. The unloading auger 30 is positioned just back of the leading edge 2'I of the material holding body, see Figs. 2 and 3. This unloading auger 30 is driven from the power take-off of a tractor in any suitable manner, for example, as shown by a chain 3l and sprocket wheels 32, 33 and 34. The sprocket wheel 32` is keyed to an extension of the auger shaft exteriorly of one side Vof the material holding body I0, and the sprocket wheel 33 is keyed to a transverse shaft rotatably mounted on the material holding body on stub shaft 35, which carries the sprocket 34 and lone loop of chain 36 to sprocket 31.

The sprocket 31, see l, is keyed to worm shaft 38 and is driven by the power take-off shaft 39 of the tractor.

In place of the auger 30, it

may be more effective to use a cylinder 30a having a plurality of projecting teeth 39h. Such a cylinder may be interchangeable with the auger 30 and is used for discharging roughage or the like.

Operation The operation of the tractor attachment is` very simple and its many uses make this invention very popular with the farmer. Fr example, it may be used to pick-up and 1oad:hay',-f`erti-' lizer, rubbish and materials of all descriptions for transportation from one location to another. Then after arriving at the new location. thex unloading auger 30 or the toothed cylinder 30*l will automatically unload the material. Then, also', if it is fertilizer being unloaded the auger 30 or cylinder 30W will? distribute the material while` the tractor is moving slowly over the neld.

Iny actual use the material holding' body' l0 pushed forward in'. front of the tr'a'cto'rby arrri's'v i141. To pick up a load the lever` i8 is pulled rearwardly, assuming the loading fork gate 22 i'sdown adjacent the ground surface and has" engaged und-er some materialV tobe loaded, and the'gateZZ is swung upward. The upward swing throws the material back' into the material. holding body.- This' operation isv repeated', untilv thev material holding body I is loaded to capacity.

After the material holding body l0 is loaded it may be raised by a continued pull on lever i3, which pull will if continued impar-t pull to the bell-crank arrangement through arm to raisev the material holding body I0' still` higher with respect to theV ground. The tractor may now b'e moved to.v an unloading location and operation'f of auger 313l started by clutching the same to the power take-off. TheI auger" orf cylinder 30a` will convey theV material from thematerial holding body under the pivoted' flange 2d? over the loading edge 2l to the ground.

Thus, the present invention provides-v anovel Y,

vehicle attachment adapted to load, transport and unload many kinds of materials from onel location to another.

While only one practical embodiment or con-f struction and arrangement and combination of the-partsis illustrated, itis to bel express-ly understood that the same does not limit the scope o'fy thisv invention, aschangesv and modifications will now appear toothers skilled in this art' within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1.- A.- loading and unloading material trans# portingattachment for tractors and tlfiev like,

comprising a material holding body; said b'o'dy having abottom, upright side walls* and areal" wall, with ani open top` and anA openl front, a-load ingv :fork` gate pivotally mountedadjacent the sideL walls of the materiall holding body across the leading edgeV of the bottom' of the material holding body, saidv loading fork gate' comprising a transverse shaft forming' the said pivotal mountd ing means for the loading fork' gate and a seriesV of. spaced tines attached to said transverse shaft with means for raising and lowering the loading' fork gate over its pivotal mounting' to load the material` into the material holding body, said means comprising a linkage system originating' adjacent the drivers seat of the tractor, and an unloading means for the material in the body comprising a rotatable conveyor located above the bottom of the material holding body adjacent the leading edge' of the bottom' and thev pivotal mountings for the loading. forkgate, said rotatable unloading means being actuatedA by the power take-off of the tractor when the material loading fork gate is stationary and in a position in which they tines thereofl form an extension of the bottoni of the materialV holding body.

2. A loading and unloading material transporting attachment for tractors and the like, comprising a material holding body, said body having a bottom, upright side walls and a rear wall, with anopen top and an open front, a loading fork gate pivotally mounted adjacent the side walls of the material holding body across the leading edge ofthe'bottonrof the same, said loading fork gate comprising tines connected intermediate their ends by a fiat connecting. member, a flap pivotally connected to said connecting member, and a transverse shaft formingthe said pivotal mounting means for" said loading' fork gate', meansy for raising' and lowering the loading fork gate'over itspi-votal mounting for loading the material into the materiali holding body, and an unloading means for the material in the body comprising an auger conveyor locatedl above the bottom of the material holding body adjacent the leading edge oi'- tl'ie bottoni' and the pivotal mountings for the" loading fork gate, said auger unloading' means being actuated by' the power take-oil of the tractor when the material loading fork gate is stationary and in a position in` which the ti'nes thereofform an extension of the bottom of the materialAk holding body', and means controlled by' the tractor driver for raising and lowering the material holding' body in respectl to the ground'.

3. A loading' and unloading material transport'- ing attachment for tractors and the like', comv prisinga material holding body, said body' having a.- bottom, uprigl'i'tside" walls and a rear wall, with ani open topand' an open front, a loading fork gate pivotally mounted adjacent the side walls of the material holdingbody across the leading edge offthe'bottomo'f the same, said loading fork gate comprising transverse shaft forming the pivotal mounting' means for the loading fork gate, and' a series of detachable' spaced tines' connected to said transverse shaft, means for moving the loading fork gate' over its pivotal mounting to load the material holding body, an unloading means' for.` the material in the body'comprising a rotatable conveyor located' above the' bottom of the material holding body parallel to the leading edge of the` same'- and adjacent the pivotal mountings for thel loading fork gate, saidI rotatable unloading meansv being actuated by the power take-off of the tractor when' the'material loading fork gatev isl stationary and in a position in which the ti'nes thereof form anv extension of: theV bottom' of the material holding body and means controlled by the tractor driver for raising and lowering both thematerial holding body andl the' loading forkgate in respect to the'ground'.

CHRSTIAN CHRISTIANSEN. 

